Pisé de terre, or “rammed earth,” is an ancient form
of building construction. Clay is the basic material in rammed earth buildings.
After laying a foundation of brick or stone, clay is poured into wooden molds
and then tamped until solid. Additional layers are added until the walls reach
the desired height, and the finished walls are coated with stucco. In the
mid-nineteenth century, Dr. William W. Anderson, a Maryland native who settled
in Stateburg in 1810, used it to create two of South Carolina’s most
distinctive works of architecture: the Borough House and the Church of the Holy
Cross. He was influenced by S. W. Johnson, who introduced methods of rammed
earth construction to America through his book Rural Economy (1806). In
1821, Anderson used the technique to rebuild the wings of the Borough House, the
main building at his Hill Crest Plantation, and several outbuildings. In 1850,
Anderson persuaded the Episcopal congregation of Stateburg to use pisé de terre
in constructing the Church of the Holy Cross, a Gothic Revival structure
designed by Charleston architect Edward C. Jones. The Borough House and its
outbuildings constitute the largest complex of pisé de terre buildings in the
United States. The U.S. Department of the Interior designated the Church of the
Holy Cross and the Borough House as National Historic Landmarks in 1973 and
1978, respectively.
“Dr. William W. Anderson’s Use of an Ancient Building Material in
Stateburg.” South Carolina Historical Magazine 85 (January 1984):
71-77.
Pisé de terre, or “rammed earth,” is an ancient form
of building construction. Clay is the basic material in rammed earth buildings.
After laying a foundation of brick or stone, clay is poured into wooden molds
and then tamped until solid. Additional layers are added until the walls reach
the desired height, and the finished walls are coated with stucco. In the
mid-nineteenth century, Dr. William W. Anderson, a Maryland native who settled
in Stateburg in 1810, used it to create two of South Carolina’s most
distinctive works of architecture: the Borough House and the Church of the Holy
Cross. He was influenced by S. W. Johnson, who introduced methods of rammed
earth construction to America through his book Rural Economy (1806). In
1821, Anderson used the technique to rebuild the wings of the Borough House, the
main building at his Hill Crest Plantation, and several outbuildings. In 1850,
Anderson persuaded the Episcopal congregation of Stateburg to use pisé de terre
in constructing the Church of the Holy Cross, a Gothic Revival structure
designed by Charleston architect Edward C. Jones. The Borough House and its
outbuildings constitute the largest complex of pisé de terre buildings in the
United States. The U.S. Department of the Interior designated the Church of the
Holy Cross and the Borough House as National Historic Landmarks in 1973 and
1978, respectively.